HTC to begin bootloader unlock in August

The boot’s on the other foot

HTC has used its current favoured form of communicating with the outside world - Facebook - to offer an update on the locked bootloader issue, which first came to a head back in May.

Just to remind you, right now HTC is making it very difficult for users to customise the preloaded software on HTC Android handsets, and install new software. Not many users are so inclined, but some of those that are kicked up a fuss last May and HTC, to its credit, acknowledged the matter and even published a statement from the CEO, promising not to unlock bootloaders any more.

On the original HTC Facebook note HTC added an update yesterday detailing the progress of that promise. Rather than paraphrase it, we've reproduced it below.

**UPDATE 7/10**

We wanted to provide an update on HTC's progress with bringing bootloader unlocking to our newest phones. We know how excited some of you are for this capability, and we've put significant resources behind making this change as soon as possible. While we wish we could flip a simple switch and unlock all bootloaders across our device portfolio, this is actually a complex challenge that requires a new software build and extensive testing to deliver the best possible customer experience.

We're thrilled to announce today that software updates to support bootloader unlocking will begin rolling out in August for the global HTC Sensation, followed by the HTC Sensation 4G on T-Mobile USA and the HTC EVO 3D on Sprint. We're in the testing phase for the unlocking capability now, and we expect it to be fully operational by early September for devices that have received the software updates. We'll continue rolling out the unlocking capability over time to other devices as part of maintenance releases and new shipments.

HTC continues its commitment to unlocking bootloaders and supporting the developer community. Because of the importance of this community to us, please expect an update on this about every few weeks as we make progress toward launch. Thank you for your patience and continued support!

That seems like a satisfactory update, but we'd like to hear the thoughts of the bootloaders among you. The Facebook response to user issues also echoes HTC's handling of the Desire/Gingerbread issue, which threatened to turn into a PR disaster. HTC quickly saw that its actions had been met with widespread disapproval, so it acknowledged the issue and resolved to address it.